


Shipping and Handling

by hyruleHistorian



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M, Humanstuck, OCs - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-10
Updated: 2013-11-25
Packaged: 2017-12-23 00:01:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 17,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/919608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyruleHistorian/pseuds/hyruleHistorian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Your name is Finn Rogers, it is the day before Valentine's Day, and you are lurking in the post office of Adak, Alaska, in the hopes of gaining an insight regarding the identity of AC- the person who has been sending you valentines for 5 years running.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The door to the post office swings open once more, letting in another gasp of the cold Alaskan air. This does not seem to affect the current patrons of the building- they are all too absorbed in their personal affairs. All, that is, save one. A young-ish boy, perhaps fifteen or sixteen, looks up at the door’s movement, just as he has done each time it has opened since he arrived here at around ten this morning. His name is Finn Rogers, and he is looking for someone. At first glance, he seems not particularly out of the ordinary. Shortish brown hair lay above a pair of blue eyes. His jacket had been discarded in the warmth of the building, revealing a t-shirt emblazoned with the Hylian Crest. His face was average, no real defining features, and his body composition was small and somewhat lithe- he’d been a track runner for the high school team. All in all, nothing special. Or so he thought- apparently the belief had at least one dissenter. And that is why he is here.

He looks at the date. February 13. For 5 consecutive years now, every Valentine’s Day he has received a love letter from a person that he does not know. The only clue he has to their identity was the signature that had remained constant in all of the letters: “AC :33”. So, armed with this knowledge and nothing more, he is attempting to find some clue concerning the identity of his apparent admirer. No luck so far.

The door opens again, and he looks up. Perhaps this would be the elusive AC. But no, it is merely his friend Kale, coming in to mail a letter. “Hey Kale. Which politician are we chewing out today?” He calls good-naturedly from his seat. Kale, a diehard political activist who is quite happy to give anyone and everyone a piece of his mind, replies without looking, “This one’s going straight up to Big Brother himself. About time I told him just what’s what.” Finn nods and sits back, pausing for a second. His sharp eyes pick up some sort of substance on the sleeve of Kale’s jacket. “May I ask what that white powder is doing on your clothing?” Kale turns to look at him. “Oh, I was just writing this letter when I just so happened to spill about half a bottle of talcum powder into the envelope. I figure it’ll get sorted out one way or another.” He can’t keep a small smirk off of his face while he hands his envelope to the woman behind the counter.

As he and Finn exchange goodbyes, the lady he had handed his envelope to puts it into one of the bins, then steps out from behind the counter. It is clearly the end of her shift, and she is soon replaced by a young girl who had entered at the same time that Kale had left. Wildish black hair stands out messily over her head, and she is wearing a thick olive jacket, which she soon takes off to reveal a black tee bearing the sign of Leo. Finn, being distracted, did not notice her enter, but now slowly realizes that a different volunteer is occupying a place at the counter. She looks to be about his age, with messy hair and a bright, cheerful smile not unlike the one he wears more often than not. She animatedly greets each patron she comes in contact with. The resident post office feline, named Schrodinger by someone who thought they had a sense of humor, leisurely makes his way over to the girl and receives a scratching behind the ears for its trouble. This elicits some reaction from the rest of the employees, who know that Schrodinger is the laziest cat to ever not move upon the face of the earth, and no amount of coaxing can get him to do anything. But here he is, somehow gravitating to this young volunteer girl. She looks up from her feline activity to take care of a patron. The problem seems to be that the pen chained to the desk is not working properly. The girl whips out her own pen for the other to use. He accepts it with gratitude, writing an address on the back of an envelope in deep olive-green ink.

As he does this, the cat slowly wanders away, through the crowds, heading in the direction of the back room, where the outgoing mail is processed. Nobody marks him as anything more than background, not even worried that he would manage to get caught in the sorting machine- he knew enough to avoid that. The cat reaches the great big pile of mail before someone notices. “Hey Schrody. What’s this, now?” The employee reaches down and retrieves the letter that was firmly nestled in Schrodinger’s mouth. “Don’t tell me you’re a mail carrier now? At least you’ve finally gotten off your tail for a reason other than mealtime.” So saying, he takes the letter and throws it into the pile. If he had examined it more closely, he would have noticed that, not only does it have no return address, it is made out to Finn Rogers, with a small heart next to the name. 

The aforementioned youth, determined to try to catch just one glimpse of his admirer, stays at his spot for a while longer. But none of the people who enter or leave through the door look anything like someone who would be writing love letters to him. Finally admitting defeat, he stands, shrugging on his jacket, and stepping outside. He has gained nothing, and he expects AC’s letter tomorrow, as normal. The volunteer girl at the counter watches him go.


	2. Chapter 2

The sounds of battle resound through the household of the Hero of Time, otherwise known to some as Finn Rogers. He turns in circles, surrounded by paintings of a dark road in a forest. Out of one of the paintings rides a dark spirit on a black horse, both shifting to white as they leave the painting. Quickly he strings an arrow to his bow, firing and scoring a direct hit. And instead of returning to the artwork as he has done multiple times previously, the monstrosity freezes. He comes to rest floating above the center of the small cordoned-off circle of floor, and releases a crackling sphere of energy towards the hero. Instead of making an effort to dodge, he swings his sword, reversing the ball’s momentum completely. What ensues is nothing more than a deadly game of tennis, with the outcome soon becoming clear. The demon misses his volley, and the curse hits home, sending energy coursing through the figure. He falls to the floor, and the hero leaps into action, unsheathing his sword, locking on to his target, and laying into the phantom with his blade, each hit sending him closer to victory. The demon rises again, assuming its floating position, gathering another ball of magic, preparing to send it straight toward- 

“Hey Heroboy!” Sharp raps on the door accompany the shout. Finn sighs, opening the pause screen, and walking over to the door of his room. “Morning Brom. What is it?” His friend, Brom Jackson, gives him a package. “This came for you.” Finn eagerly rips it open to reveal a figurine- the Hero of Winds, baton held high. “Been waiting for this one forever!” Finn turns to go place it with the rest of his figure collection, but Brom stops him. “Oh, and this came too.” He hands Finn a small letter. He instantly recognizes the handwriting. “Thanks.” He nods and turns away, closing the door behind him. 

Finn carefully sets the miniature down, and moves on to his couch to open the letter. Sure enough. It is exactly who he thinks it is- AC. He removes the message fully. Printed on a light fuchsia paper in olive ink. Whoever it is, they have an eye for color. He scans the text downward.

“Dear Finn,  
You’re the nicest purrson I’ve efur met. You’re sw33t, and funny, and attractive.... I like mew, a lot. Will you purrlease be mine? <3 <3 <3  
With love,  
AC  
:33”

He sighs, placing the letter to the side. “But how can I be yours if I have no idea who you are? Answer me that one, AC. Answer me that.” His TV catches his eye as he leans back into the furniture. He proceeds to finish off Phantom Ganon, but his heart isn’t really in it. As he picks up the Heart Container, da da da daaaa, your life has been increased by one, yadda yadda, he saves and sets the controller down. He takes a look at the letter again, picking it up and just staring at the words. “So, somepawdy- er, somebody, thinks I’m attractive. Great. Peachy. Now I just need to, I don’t know... have some clue as to their identity? Would be nice?” He reclines fully back, staring up at the ceiling. “What in Hylia’s name do I do now?” 

He recounts his options. One, sit here, probably until next Valentine’s Day, trying to think of what to do. Two, ask his friends for advice and expose himself to merciless teasing regardless of any or all other results. Three, go back to the post office and see if anyone there could tell him about the letter. Perhaps that one volunteer he noted who was about his age. This seems to make the most sense. 

He gets up off the couch, retrieving his coat- it is February in Alaska, after all. He steps outside his room, descending the two floors from his apartment to the lobby, and opens the door to the street outside. The post office is but a short walk south. He steps through the door for the second time in two days... and collides with the girl from yesterday. 

He falls and so does she. Instantly, he jumps back up, offering a hand to the girl on the ground. She accepts it, apologizing profusely as she pulls herself up with his assistance. “Oh my God, I am so sorry, I was distracted, I wasn’t looking where I was going, sorry, sorry, sorry....” He stands there, watching her nervously babble on and on, until he gently puts up a hand to silence her. “Calm down. It’s alright. See, look. No harm done. There’s no need to spout such a fountain of apologies. Seriously.” He steps back, taking her in. “I’ve seen you here a couple of times before. You volunteer, don’t you.” She nods. “What’s your name then?” The reply comes back after a moment. “Nella. Nella Leijon.” 

He nods. “I see. It’s nice to meet you, Nella.” “You too, Finn-” Her eyes widen and her hands fly to her mouth. Her mind was racing frantically. She’d slipped up, and bad. How was she supposed to know his name? They’d never spoken before. Unless, yeah, she had talked to one of his friends! They had told her all about him! Yeah, that’d work- oh, who was she kidding. She was in a corner, and no half-cocked lie would save her if he decided to press the matter. He gives her a strange look, but doesn’t say anything else, and she lets out a sigh of relief, taking her hands away. 

Finn nods and continues. “Now, if you’re quite finished with doing an impression of the Three Wise Monkeys Minus Two, I was actually hoping I’d run into you.” He takes out AC’s letter. “Tell me, while you were working here yesterday, did anyone come in and mail this letter?” 

Her eyes widen as she looks at it, and her cheeks, well- is that a blush forming? “N-no, I didn’t see anyone mail that letter.” He looks at her strangely again. “Are you sure? It seems as though you recognize it.” She turns her face away from him, almost as if to hide something. Her voice is muffled as she draws her greenish jacket hood closer to her face. “I’m pawsitive. I have nefur seen that letter befur in my life. I gotta go, real sorry, nice talking with you, goodbye!” And with that she moves out the door.   
He turns to watch through the slightly fogged glass as she hurries off down the street, glancing back once or twice. He looks down at the letter in his hand, completely and utterly mystified. “Well... that was strange,” he mutters to himself. “I mention the letter, and she’s suddenly more flustered than, well, than.... I’m honestly at a loss for a metaphor. Maybe I’d better get home and see if I can make sense of it all.” 

He turns to the door, opens it, and steps through himself. He allows himself a quick look in the direction that the other had taken, perpendicular to his own. He begins walking, shaking his head. There is nobody else on the street, but if there were, (neverminding the fact that someone with little enough sense to be standing purposelessly on a street in Alaska in February probably deserves whatever fate they manage to inflict upon themselves) they would have heard another comment. “But... somehow, call it intuition... I don’t think this is the last I’ll be seeing of Nella Leijon.”


	3. Chapter 3

Finn sits at home, staring at the ceiling. The TV was on, letting the gentle melodies of File Select resound as the picture rotates around the isle of Skyloft. Finn finds it helps him think. And thinking is what needs to be happening right this moment. 

His mind boils over recent events. “So...” he says out loud, trying to get his thoughts in order. “Number one. I have an admirer. She seems quite ardent. She has sent me a letter every Valentine’s Day for 6 years. These letters are signed only with the initials AC, and a... double-mouthed cat face? I don’t know. That would make sense, given that the letters seem to have a penchant for cat-themed puns. Although, I have to admit, some of them do make me laugh. Number two, the most recent letter I decided to investigate. Upon my arrival, I accidentally collided with another girl my age. Nella Leijon. 

"She volunteers there, so I thought I would ask her about the letter. On questioning, she vehemently denied knowing about it. Too vehemently. I think she was lying to me. She left shortly afterwards. I think she really wanted to avoid the topic. So now we’re left with a dilemma. Based on her reaction, Nella knows something about AC. I don’t know what, or how much. Maybe she’s lying, and she was the one AC gave the letter to. But why then would that be anything out of the ordinary? Just someone mailing a letter. No, AC must have made a big deal about it to her. Perhaps... yes, that has to be it. AC swore her to secrecy concerning her identity- just in case she ever ran into me. And that she did- quite literally. No wonder she was so flustered- she was afraid that she’d get found out. But that’s it. I have it. Nella is nervous because she is tasked with hiding AC from me. So I find Nell... and I find AC. Meaning it’s back to the post office.” He got up, then sat back down. “Tomorrow. There’s no hurry.”

In another house in Adak, some distance away, Nella Leijon is in her room, laying in the pile of furs on her floor, and not exactly in the most happy of moods. Her stomach turns flip-flops at the thought of this morning’s encounter, and it shows through via the nervous frown on her face. Her hands toyed with her favorite pen busily, capping it, uncapping it, twirling, drawing in the air. She wasn’t really thinking about it- it was something to keep her hands occupied while her mind worked frantically. 

She was in trouble, she did not doubt that. For five years now, she had gotten away with sending him that letter every year. It was a neat plan she had- she would volunteer for a day or two before Valentine’s, and she would slip the letter into the great big mail pile. This year she’d even managed to get the cat to put it in, thereby putting even less suspicion on her. But surely everything was going to fall to pieces, now that she’d been found out. How was she to expect that the day she’d tried to put in the letter, he would be there? Her stomach turns over again as his face moves across her memory. The first time wasn’t too bad, he’d mostly just sat there and she’d kept her cool. But the second time, oh that was terrifying. First she bumps into him, knocking him just straight to the ground. He hops right back up and gives her a hand, and she’d had a hard time just from keeping from blushing right then and there. So distracted, she lets slip the fact that she knew his name, when they had never met before. Somehow he’d managed to pass that without comment, thank goodness. 

But then he had pulled out that letter- her letter. She had felt like she was literally going to faint. He had inquired innocently if anyone had come in and mailed it. Innocent, hah! Her secret was out. He knew that she was AC. She hadn’t been able to think- everything just froze. She had stammered out a lie, then turned and flat-out run. She’d glanced backwards as she was hurrying away, seeing his face standing at the building’s door, but fortunately not pursuing her. And she’d come straight here, to her room, and had been here ever since. She was going to have to do something. 

But what? Hiding in here forever was not an option. She couldn’t let one little incident trap her like this. She was a warrior, a huntress- she should have no fear. Now if only she could tell her stomach that. So what else was there to do? Attempting to keep her silly charade up any longer would be pointless. She was AC, and he knew it. Maybe she should confront him, speak to him about everything, openly admit her long-standing crush. Maybe he wouldn’t think she was a total loser. No, gaah, but what if he did? No. Stop thinking that. That’s not gonna happen. At the worst, he’s gonna not reciprocate, and that’ll be that. But could she really do that? She wasn’t shy, in fact she was pretty outgoing, but it’s like she was an entirely different person when he entered the picture. 

Speaking of pictures... she glances backwards to the wall behind her. It was covered in paint. She would be the furst- ahem, first to admit to being a prolific shipper. So many, in fact, that she had an entire wall simply dedicated to ships. It was a fairly large wall, so there’s plenty of room for her many pairings. Some of them were crack ships at best, she knows. But some she puts a lot of faith into. Like the masterpiece currently occupying the center of the structure. When it came to shipping, even her own self was not excluded- many of the pairs involve her. This was one of them. The painting depicted her, wild hair, green coat, Leo shirt and all, standing beside and grasping the hand of some figure who, judging by the prominent Triforce on his own shirt, could not be anyone other than Finn Rogers. Several other details support this conclusion. She’d tried to create as accurate a representation as she possibly could. And she thinks she did okay. But after she had completed it, she had added one more thing to the two figures. Underneath them both, capped at both ends with small hearts, were the letters “OTP.” 

Nella sighs, placing a hand on the wall. How was she going to make her favorite pairing come true if she was too terrified to even talk to him? Maybe the best thing to do really was to confront him. But she couldn’t do that. Despite everything, she just didn’t have the nerve. And she knew it. But what to do then? All she could think of was going back to the post office. Because, well.... she wanted to see him again. That was the only place where they had ever met. Sure, she knew his address, but.... stalking his house would probably not end well. And even if she couldn’t mention her feelings, she still wanted to talk. Because he was nice. And funny. And smart. And a dozen other things that she would much rather admire from close-up rather than afar. So it was settled. She’d go to the post office, right this inst- tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow. Because that would mean she didn’t have to get up out of this fur pile.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaaaaaaand I'm back, from forever not posting. Enjoy, and if you think it's not romancey enough, it'll pick up.

Finn sits on a bench in the post office- again. It occurs to him that maybe this wasn’t going to be as effective as he’d hoped. Yes, they’d met here. But there’s no reason to expect her to show up here again. Adak is a small town, yes, but there are plenty of places kids his age would prefer to hang out compared to some boring old post office. What reason would she have to return here, just to satisfy his questions? If anything, she would steer clear of this place- because of him. She has a secret to keep, and he wants it. Why would she not avoid him at all costs?  
A sarcastic voice in his head chimes in, _because she’s absolutely captivated by your charm and good looks?_ Yes, sure, of course, that makes perfect sense- no wait, it doesn’t. Shut up, me. You have no idea what you’re talking about.  
 _It could be true, you know. You’ve already got one girl who thinks you’re pretty hot stuff- why not two?_ Ha ha. Fuuuuny. I sure am knee-slappingly hilarious. Did I ask for advice on my love life?  
 _Look at it scientifically. The only things I’m saying- the only things I could possibly be saying- are things that you’re already thinking. So you have literally nobody to blame but yourself._ Yeah, well, you can- 

It is at this point that Finn realizes. Wait. This is stupid. He sits for a while longer, before he finally convinces himself that it simply isn’t happening. It makes no sense to be sitting here in the office- she’s surely not coming back here for any reason, except to mail a letter. He stands up, claims his jacket, and walks out the front door.

Nella, meanwhile, is nervously approaching the building, trying to quell the butterflies in her stomach, when she sees the door open and him step out. He begins to walk north, and she quickens her pace to intercept him, her breath coming in puffs of steam. 

“Hey Finn, wait up!” He turns and raises an eyebrow. 

“Nella? I didn’t expect to see you here. After you left in such a hurry yesterday.” 

She comes to a stop facing him. “Yeah, I know.” And so do you, she mentally added. 

“Actually, it’s a funny coincidence. I was looking for you again,” Finn says. Something inside her froze. This was it. When things came to a head. She tries to keep a calm demeanor and not let her fright show. She reflects gratefully that it would be a lot harder if they weren’t both under about four layers of thick clothes. 

“What is it? I purromise I won’t run away this time.” Finn notes her slight emphasis on the first syllable. Is that an accent? Maybe. 

“I’ll hold you to that. Now, I want to be as nice about this as I can, because I don’t want to go about this the wrong way.... but I believe you’re hiding something from me, Nella.” She tries to return his gaze, but her eyes flit away. “Don’t be silly.... what could I pawsibly be hiding?” 

Finn looks at her. “Yesterday, you lied to me. You know who AC is. I know she probably swore you to secrecy on the matter. But I need to know too. You know that letter she gave you, addressed to me? It was a love letter. The sixth one of its kind. So, you see, I’m on a sort of mission, to find out just who it is that is so infatuated with me, yet can’t bring up the courage to do more than send me anonymous valentines.”

Nella isn’t sure how to react to this. On the one hand, this is incredibly patronizing. He knows her secret, and him pretending otherwise is more than a little rude. Then again... He’s talking as if they were two separate people. Perhaps.... could he really... She looks at his face. It’s not angry, or mocking, or condescending. It’s, well... innocent. Maybe.... maybe he doesn’t know. Her firm conviction- dread, rather- that she had been found out begins wavering. 

The more she mulls it over, the more it seems like he hasn’t made the connection. He quite honestly doesn’t know that she’s AC. So that secret is safe. For another two moments. Because she’s still on the spot. He may not know she’s AC, but he knows she knows AC’s identity, and he wants her to tell him. Safe from the frying pan, and into the admittedly less hot, yet still uncomfortable, fire. Her mind whirls, trying to think of something. She needs a plan, something to diffuse the situation, take the pressure off. “I... don’t know... she was purretty vehement....” 

He looks at her again. “I know, it’s not an easy thing to break a promise. Even more so for somebody you met only a day or two ago. This is what, our second conversation? Ever? Look....” He lets loose a gentle sigh. “It’s okay. I can understand. You don’t really have to tell me. I won’t pressure you unduly. It’s just that...” He turns his face to the side, looking elsewhere for a moment before returning to looking at her. 

“You’re really my only lead. And I know that if I don’t somehow find out who this girl is, it’s gonna drive me crazy until I can. Again, I’m not trying to make you a deceitful person.” He snorts with derision. “Yeah, sure I’m not. I came here for the sole purpose of making you give up a secret that you’d promised to keep, and I’m not trying to make you a bad person. Someone oughta come up and slap some sense into me, Looney Tunes style. Because if anyone’s a bad person here, it’s me. And doesn’t that just make that statement the most simultaneously ironic and hypocritical piece of.....” 

He trails off as she holds up a hand to stop his miniature tirade. “Finn.... just stop. You’re being silly. You’re not a bad purrson- not like I would know, really, having just met you and all, but... you seem nice. And trust me, I’m a purrety good judge of character. I can understand what you want furrom me. I’m sure I’d ask the same of mew if our positions were refursed. And it’s true, I don’t really like to break purromises.... but, you know... I’ve done worse than that in the name of love. I.. actually think it would be good for you to meet her.” 

Nella’s thoughts tumble frantically. She has no idea what she’s saying. It’s all just spilling from nowhere. But this is actually good. She’s getting somewhere. She is riding an avalanche, but she’ll be okay so long as she manages to stay on top of it. And when she gets to the bottom, she’ll be safe. Unaware of this internal monologue, Finn looks at her. “You could do that? Somehow arrange a meeting?” 

She looks back, steadier on the outside than she was inside her head.. “Not quite... but I might be able to purrsuade her to be somewhere at a certain time, and you could, you know, just by chance, be there already." He nods. “Of course. Thanks, Nell. That means a lot to me.” And he reaches forward to give her a hug. Only a short one, but still, when he pulls back, Nella’s heart is already beating a good eight times faster. Her cheeks glow red, and not from the cold. “N-no purroblem, Finn.” Either not noticing the blush or attributing it to the temperature, Finn continues. 

“Where do you think would be a good place to have us meet?” She casts about in her head for an answer. Okay, good, great, things are working, you’re on top of the situation, now just pick a place, some place, any place...

“Well... you know where that new coffee place is going to be opening tomorrow?” 

He nods again. “I can do that. Mid morning-ish sound okay?”

“Purrobably,” she replies.

He smiles. _He has a nice smile._ “Great! Thanks again, Nella.” A matching smile, albeit smaller and gentler, appears on her own face. “You’re welcome.”

He glances away for a moment, then back to her. “So... I’ll see you later, I guess?” She shrugs. “Pawsibly. I should be there tomorrow too.” Because in order for AC to be there, it is kind of requisite that I have to be. 

“Alright. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, then. Bye, Nell.” He turns and walks away. 

“Bye, Finn.” She begins to head home herself. The avalanche was over, so she now has time to sort through the rubble. A thought occurs, and her small smile turns into one of triumph. She can’t quite be certain, but... she’s pretty sure that she’d just secretly asked Finn on a date. And he’d accepted. The thought puts a little spring in her step all the way home.

End of Chapter Four


	5. Chapter 5

Finn arrives early to the coffeehouse, before it’s even open, glancing around at the small crowd of his peers already there. Nobody he recognizes. Nobody paying him any real attention other than doing the same thing he’s doing. Nobody looking shifty or nervous, like they have something to hide. But, again, he’s early. It’s quite possible that she’s just not here yet. He looks down to take stock of himself. For no particular reason, he’d taken a bit more than his usual care for appearance. It’s not as if he was usually a slob- he always made at least some effort to look neat- but now, looking down, he realizes that he looks even nicer than usual. Entirely unintentionally. Ah well. Might as well make a good official first impression- unofficial ones had apparently already been made, about 6 years ago.

He waits for a while longer before seeing someone he recognizes. Nick Tremain, another good friend/apartmentmate. “Hey Nick. What brings you out of that little feral semi-pigsty you call a room?” Nick barely turns his head Finn’s way. “Anna made me come.” 

Finn nods. “That explains things.” Nick wasn’t exactly the most social of people- as far as he was concerned, who needed other human beings? He had his dog, although some would call the great big creature more of a wolf. He would never have come to something like this of his own volition. And of course if anyone made him come to such an event, it would be Anna Kaspar. The oldest of their little group of friends, Anna was probably the most responsible out of all of them. She often meddled a bit in their dealings, claiming it was for their own good. _And most of the time, she's right._

Lost such in thought for a while, Finn misses Nick’s second statement the first time around. “Huh? I’m sorry, did you say something?” Nick sighs. “I said, what about you? Surely there’s some elf girl needs saving from the forces of darkness?” Finn looks around again before returning his gaze to Nick. “Err....I’m....... meeting someone here.” 

A grin appears on Nick’s face. “You had my curiosity. Now you have my attention.” Finn gives him a shove. “Oh, shut up. It’s not like that. A friend of mine wants me to meet a friend of hers. Nothing more than that.”

The grin doesn’t leave Nick’s face. “Suuuuure.”

Suddenly, Finn feels a pressure on his shoulder as a hand grabs it, and he sees a similar one grab ahold of Nick. “Alright, guys. Break it up. Or were you both too busy arguing over a silly comment that you didn’t notice the establishment is now open for business.” Nick struggles to free himself from the grip, while Finn just looks up. “Sure thing, Anna.”

He pauses, his eyes noting her shirt, which bears the same logo as the building above them. “You work here?” She nods, ignoring Nick’s protests. “I do. But that doesn’t mean freebies. ...To a certain extent, anyways.”

“You’re the best, Anna. May we leave now?” 

She releases the pair. “Go on. But don’t wreck the place.” 

Finn steps in, finding an empty table where he can survey the door. Another short while passes, with nothing more interesting happening than Nick complaining about how slow his drink was in coming. _“Anna, where is my coffee? I ordered that drink like thirty minutes ago!” “Nick, this place wasn’t OPEN thirty minutes ago. Hold your horses- sheesh.”_ Finn chuckles to himself, but stops as the door opens. And the one who steps into the warmth of the shop is none other than Nella Leijon. 

She instantly spots Finn, sitting near the back, and pulls up a chair at his table. “Hiya Finn. Hope I’m not intruding?” He shakes his head. “Oh, not at all! Please, feel free.” He takes a sip of his drink, and looks around again. “So.... is she here?” 

“Purrdon? Oh, I don’t think so. She might be here in just a little while.” Or she might be here right this instant, looking at you across this table. 

Finn nods in understanding, then looks at her curiously. “Say... I’ve noticed you have a bit of an accent, but I can’t really place it. Tell me, where did you come from?” 

Nella looks confused. “Accent? What acce- oh. I think I know what you mean. It’s not an accent. They’re just puns.”

Finn raises an eyebrow. “You speak in puns?” She wilts a little under his gaze, stomach churning. _He doesn’t like them, I just know he doesn’t._ “Y-yes.” He doesn’t say anything else about it, and she’s grateful for that. 

They both sit in silence for a while longer, until Nella decides to make a comment. “Mew look nice today.” 

He starts a bit at the sudden compliment. “What? Oh... thank you, I suppose. I don’t really know why, but apparently my subconscious decided that today was worth putting a little extra effort into. You don’t look half bad yourself.” 

She giggles a little. “Oh, stop it, I’m not that good-looking. I didn’t even try to fancy up.” This was a lie. She’d actually deliberated for quite a while on outfit choice (coming to the conclusion that her favorite shirt and pair of jeans would be nice enough but still casual), spent an equal amount of time thinking about makeup (before just deciding on a little bit of green eyeshadow), and fought World War III with her hair (coming out in second place). 

Finn gently chuckles in reply. “Don’t be silly, Nella. You look great, even if the back of your brain didn’t decide to grab you by the collar and make you look nice unbeknownst to you.”

He takes another drink. “Is she here yet?” Nella looks around. “I don’t see her.” Technically true. There were no mirrors around. 

Finn says nothing for quite some time, during which Nella does some thinking. Well, not quite thinking- more like trying to gather the courage to confess. After yesterday’s meeting, it had come to her that he was gonna find out one way or another, eventually. No matter how well she hid things, he would eventually discover the truth. So, she’d resolved to tell him before he found out, because she knew that she’d much rather he find out by admission. But easier said than done. Every time she thought she had things down, she faltered and broke. But this was the time. She could do it. She would do it. She opens her mouth... and shuts it again as Finn begins to speak. “While we’re here waiting... I’d kind of like to know more about you. Just anything. Again, this is based entirely on first impressions, but you seem real nice, for one, and I would love to get to know you a little better.” 

Nell is a little surprised at the question. “Oh? Well.. I love to paint, fur one. I do it all the time.” He smiles at this. “Wow, nice. I’d love to see some of your art sometime. I bet it looks amazing.” She turns a teensy bit red. “Oh, I’m purrtain it’s not all that, really.” 

“No, I’d love to see it. I’m sure it’s great.” 

“Whatefur mew say.”

“Oh, whatefur yourself.” 

She blinks and takes another small drink of coffee. “Do you do any sort of art?” He thinks for a moment before replying. “Depends on how you define art. I’m no sculptor or painter, but I do play the piano.” She leans forward, interested. “You do? Wow. I’ve nefur been able to make mewsic myself. That’s really neat. Heehee, maybe I’ll show you my art if you let me listen to you play.” This brings a smile to Finn’s face. “Yeah, sure. I’ll see what I can do.”

Nella is surprised seeing how smoothly things are going. Unlike previous times, where she just kind of locked up in his presence, this time she seems to be having nearly no trouble at all. _Except for admitting your secret,_ she chides herself. _Come on, just get it out. Not that hard. “Finn, I’m the one who’s been sending those letters.” But it’s not that simple- no, you’re overthinking things. Do it._ She takes a deep breath. “Finn, I-” No. She can’t do it. 

He looks over at her. “What is it, Nella?” She sighs. “N...nothing. Nothing.” 

He gives her a stare. “You absolutely sure? Seems like something’s on your mind.” 

“I’m pawsitive, Finn. It’s nothing. I’m fine. Great. Purrfect!” 

Finn’s stare increases. “No... I don’t think so. I don’t claim to be the pointiest arrow in the quiver, but either I’ve suddenly developed amazing people-reading skills, which I doubt, or- and I hate to say it- you’re actually kinda bad at hiding things.” 

She gulps, realizing halfway through that she is doing so, and attempting to make it less noticeable. “I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Nella. Nothing is going to happen to you if you just tell me what it is you’re getting so up in a twist about.” 

She shakes her head. “No. It- it’s a purrsonal thing. Yeah. Purrsonal.” 

The look ratchets up another couple of notches. “You’re grasping at straws, Nell. Just tell me. Purrlease.” He seriously wonders just what it is that’s going on in the poor girl’s head. He watches her eyes dart frantically, seemingly avoiding making contact with him for more than half a second. She’s hiding something again, that’s clear. The girl must be the most full of secrets he had ever encountered. But why get so extremely flustered when he presses the matter? Surely she could keep more composure than that. Unless- maybe it was him. Maybe the reason she could barely put two words together was because of him. This is actually beginning to make sense. Maybe that snarky little voice was right after all. She just might have feelings for him too. So, in that case... of course. She would think of AC as... a rival. No wonder she was taking forever to get here. Nella had lied. She hadn’t actually told AC about meeting there. So she could be there, with him, without interference. There it is. Cut and dried. 

Nella, who had remained silent during the deduction process, began to speak again. “Finn...” 

He cuts her off. “No, Nell. Don’t bother. I’ve worked it out on my own.” 

Her eyes go wide. “Y-you have?” He nods. “Every last detail. My only question is, how did I not see it sooner. Now that I think about it, it’s obvious. I know that you’re not this nervous all the time. So, I looked for some sort of commonality. And the only times that you’ve been this nervous and flustered, I’ve been talking to you. So, I’ll tell you what I think. I don’t think AC’s showing up here. I think you lied, and didn’t tell her. I think you think of her as a rival. And a rival for what? Me. I’m willing to bet you like me. Like like. So you set this up. Not to get me to meet AC, but so you could have some time with me.” 

Nella tries to interject. “Finn, it’s not like that at all-” But he brushes her aside. “No, Nella. Don’t try to lie to me some more. It’s the only option that makes sense.” 

“But Finn, you’re not listening-” 

“No, you’re not listening. I thought I had you figured out the first time, but your little web goes waaay deeper than first investigation reveals. Now that I’ve sifted through all your red herrings, I’ve got the truth, and you can’t lie your way out this time.” 

“Finn, just let me-” 

“Nice try. All you’re going to be telling me is more lies. And honestly? I can’t stand liars. You lied to me, you lied to AC...”

Nella abruptly decides she’s had enough. “NO! It’s not like that at all! I’ll have mew know that I nefur lied to AC. In fact, AC is here! Right now! _At this very table!!!_ She’s been here all along! Because you want to know who AC really is? She’s me, Finn! I’m AC! I’m the one that sent you those letters! I’m the one who’s been...” She stumbles over her words for a moment, then recovers. “Who’s been, well, in love with you fur years! And I’ve been way too horrendously nervous to even think of talking to you! Until now! Just when things are starting to look up! And you just go off on your half-cocked guesses that don’t have a bit of evidence to suppurt them and.. and... I’m tired of keeping secrets! I’m tired of having to lie. Do you think I _like_ lying? Especially lying to you? I hate it! But I’ve been hiding efurrything- beclaws I nefur could gather the courage to... to... well, to even talk to you in purrson.” 

She gulps down a deep breath. “AC is me, Finn. AC... is... me....” She trails off, the magnitude of what she’d just done coming at her like a hammer blow. She’d blown up, in a crowded public place, in front of Finn, and revealed both her secret identity and secret crush. All in one move. She instantly turns a deep red all over. “Oh God, oh God, oh God... I just... oh my God... I just...” He’s just silent, staring at her. She isn’t even capable of looking him in the eye. Suddenly, a rush of adrenaline hits, instinct takes over, and she grabs her coat, sprinting for the exit. In less than ten seconds, she’s out the door, heart pounding, legs pumping. And with only a momentary pause for thought, Finn is out the door after her.

 

End of Chapter Five


	6. Chapter 6

Finn knew they’d both made a mistake as soon as he exited the coffee shop. Outside was pure white- a fierce snowstorm had sprung up while they were inside. He could barely see five feet in front of him, but squinting, a dark shape in the distance just might be her. He takes off after her, but the shape doesn’t seem to be getting any nearer. _She must be a real good runner,_ he thought. _I usually have no trouble catching up to people._ The storm goes up in intensity as he runs, his visibility continuing to decrease proportionally. But it seems as though he’s getting nearer to her. It could be just his imagination, but the shape looks larger. Either she’s flagging, or he’s managing to catch up. He thinks he can actually see the shape moving now, oscillating up and down with the running, he’s definitely catching up, come on, just a few more- and then his face impacts the snow.

He blinks in shock, totally frozen for a moment. His toes are complaining- he must have tripped. He can’t have tripped, there’s no time for that! Quickly he removes himself from the rapidly piling snowdrift, looking around. And with a sinking heart, he realizes it’s hopeless. The shape he may or may not have been imagining is nowhere to be seen. And he’s entirely lost his bearings. He can’t even say what direction he came from- every horizon looks the same, completely obscured by swirling frozen crystals. This wasn’t good. He’d have to just forget her for now, and find some place that he can find both shelter and direction from. Because being lost in an Adak blizzard is not on the Top Ten List of Things You Want To Do If You Like Having All Your Fingers And Toes. Winter storms up here were serious business- people had died before. Shaking the gathering snow from his shoulders, he looks around for something recognizable. Nothing. His only option is to head in some random direction until he runs into a building. And so he sets off into the flurried wind.

And now it was a day and a half later, and he was sitting at home, sifting through yesterday’s events with an only recently defrosted brain. A thousand thoughts clamor in his head, each one demanding it be given attention first. He decides to begin working backwards. 

He had arrived at his apartment after a couple of hours of waiting off the worst of the weather in a building that turned out to be clear across town from the coffeeshop. He’d received this news with no small amount of surprise. Sure, it had been easy to not notice things in the howling frost, but... really, she’d run all that way? She really was a good athlete. Maybe they should have a race sometime- no, focus. So then, he’d come in, changed out of his snow-coated clothing.... and had pretty much been here, under a blanket, for a good twenty-six hours. Not that he’d been awake the whole time, but... yeah, he pretty much hadn’t moved. There’d just been too much to think about and/or unfreeze. Another thought drifts to the fore. This one is a persistent one- even after he’s dealt with it multiple times, it just keeps on coming back. And maybe this was because it was really the heart of things. _So... Nella is AC. And she’s fallen for you hard._ The thought refuses to be gone, repeating itself over and over in his head. And the latest new addition it carries with it is just how dumb he was about going through the entire thing. Now, he’d never claimed to be any sort of Holmes about things, but it didn’t take Brom’s mental capacity to not make stupid guesses. He chuckles, thinking about his friend’s inexplicable genius. Probably studied Pre-calc in the sixth grade. But he’s getting distracted. True, his attribute was Courage, and not Wisdom, but just because it wasn’t his most shining characteristic didn’t mean he wasn’t allowed to have some bloody sense! Nella was right. None of his guesses had been anywhere near close to the real thing- he’d just dashed headlong into things, without a single scrap of evidence to support him. Stupid, stupid, stupid- for all that he could solve puzzles in video games, he’s useless in real life. _And now she’s blurted out her secret. So on the one hand, you won’t embarrass yourself with any more wrong guesses... but on the other... there’s a real good chance she’s never gonna even come close to you again._ He can only imagine what she’s thinking. One moment, and her carefully guarded secret was out. To him, no less, the one most concerned. And if her resulting flight is any indication, she was, and is likely still, mortified beyond description. Even the thought of coming anywhere near him would be too horrific to her to even contemplate now. Which is really a shame- he does have to admit that she’s fun to be around. And while he honestly couldn’t say how he felt toward her... at the very least he had hoped they could be friends. He smiles. Or furriends, as the case may be. And that’s another thing painfully obvious in hindsight. The puns. He’d never made the connection with the puns. _Someone just needs to install about ten gallons of sense into me, because the dipstick is coming up dry._ The sound of the door distracts him from his self-depreciation reverie. He can tell right away who it is by the pattern of knocks. _Oh, look. It’s Nick. The final piece of this puzzle. What’s he gonna have to say on the whole matter?_ “Come in, Nick.” The other opens the door without a word, closing it behind him then turning to face Finn. “Well? What is it? I know you’re just dying to comment on what happened yesterday. Go on, do your worst.” But it wasn’t mocking coming out of Nick’s mouth. “I wouldn’t worry too much, Finn. Just let things take their course. If what she said was true... she’ll be back, one way or another.” Finn is surprised. No teasing, no nothing- actual advice? From Nick? This was a first. Sure, it was terse and a little gruff... but Nick was like that. So Finn just nods. “Thanks, Nick.” He nods briefly and leaves again, leaving Finn alone with his thoughts once more. So that was what Nick had to say. Well... he wasn’t the only witness. Now Finn can’t help but wonder how Anna feels about the whole thing... Meanwhile, two floors up, Anna’s room roars with the bellow of a small forge. She’s a skilled blacksmith and receives commissions all the time- one such is being made now. She expertly manipulates a pair of tongs to move a white-hot metal ingot out of the mouth of the furnace and onto the anvil. The iron glows as she pounds it repeatedly, flattening it, spreading it. When it achieves her desired shape and thickness, she reaches for the tongs once more, and a mighty hiss envelops the forge room as she douses it in a barrel. Anna replaces the metal on a table. She’d put finishing touches to it later. She likes metalworking, mostly because it occupies her physically, leaving her free to think. And while some people would claim that the process is much too noisy to think, with the loud clanging of hammer and dull roar of fire and the sharp hiss that the cooling metal makes, she finds it all the more easy to think due to it. And what she’s thinking about right now is Finn’s little issue. She’d heard firsthand the whole debacle yesterday- people in Anchorage had no doubt heard. She didn’t have much previous knowledge, but she had come in contact with one of the letters, a few years back. She’d given it to Finn with some remark about having a fanbase or something ridiculous like that. And it seems as though this year, rather than be content with letters, Finn had sought the girl out, unaware that the girl he had met and the one he was chasing were the same person. By the sound of it, he’d managed to make some guesses- all wrong. She sighed. Finn wasn’t as good a judge of people as he thinks. But then again, he doesn’t usually leap to such wild conclusions, either. He’s smart enough to know when he’s being stupid, but... this time that section of his brain seemed to just fly right out the window. Again, not something that usually happens. Something about this whole scenario seems off to Anna. Finn is not this kind of person- why is he acting so differently? Anna doesn’t claim to be the smartest or most observant one in Adak, but she does like to think that she’s gained at least some knowledge of the workings of the world in her seventeen years. And she’s not quite sure, but she’s got a gut hunch, that there just might be something happening in between her friend and this girl. She moves from where she’d been standing, tidying up her forge room and dimming the fire in the furnace to just barely a glow, that puts out just enough heat to keep the room comfortably warm. _Yes,_ she thinks as she removes her heavy-duty asbestos gloves. _A something that might, if you looked at it from the proper angle, just maybe perhaps be called- romance._

End of Chapter Six


	7. Chapter 7

Another day later, the apartment of Finn Rogers has once again been transmuted. The cheery room decorated with figures and posters and all sorts of things is now a dark and dreary mansion, falling apart with age. Nearly every surface is coated in frost or ice. And ice, the wonderful material, provides, as ever, a miniscule amount of traction, to the point where he stops moving a good three seconds after he stops walking. 

_And as far as giant blocks are concerned,_ he thinks to himself as he sets his shoulder against an eight-foot cube of metal, _traction doesn’t exist. These things’ll keep on going forever so long as they don’t run into anything._ He steps back to survey the puzzle presented. 

The floor in front of him is a large patch of ice, surrounded by floorboards. In the middle of this patch is a button, which will open the next door- provided it is depressed continually. The obvious purpose of the block is to come to rest on this button. _Hmm... so first we need to get the block in line, and then we need to stop it so it doesn’t just slide right over the thing. So let’s see..._

Some time and several arrangements later, the cube finally halts on said button. The bars over the door slide up to the sound of the eight-note chime signifying success. Just beyond is a pot- which, unlike the pots to the side of it, is rattling. 

A quick strike and it shatters, revealing the cause- a small, bird-like creature some call Ooccoo, and some call “just plain not right,” to quote Nick on the matter. 

The creature thanks him for rescuing her, and in return, will let him exit the dungeon and come back to the same place he left at. Normally he doesn’t need the service- he prefers to beat a dungeon all in one go- but this time around, he chooses to accept it, due to the knock on his door. 

Saving his progress at the entrance to Snowpeak, he comes to the door to open it. Kale is standing on the other side. “Hey Finn. Or should I call you Link?” He smirks, and Finn just shakes his head with a grin. “You never get tired of that joke, Kale.” He only nods in reply.

“Anyways, what brings you here? You’re not given to casual visits.” Kale makes a hurt face. “What, can’t I just come and talk to my bud? Video games are making you antisocial, Finn. I was just dropping by to make sure you were fine. Heard you’d had a rough couple of days.” 

Finn pulls a wry grin. “Yeah, I’m okay.” And it was true. He’d recovered from things, and life was back to normal... except he still didn’t know what to do about AC. Nella, he should say- there was no more need for secrets.

“You sure? I don’t know all the details of what happened, but...” 

Finn puts up a hand. “Trust me, I’m fine. This sort of thing is easy to get over. Although I suppose I’ll have to do something more sooner or later.” 

Kale just nods and pulls out a box, handing it to him. “Maybe this’ll help. Came in the mail today.”

Finn accepts it. “Strange... I’ve got nothing on order. Wonder what it is.” 

Kale moves back out the door. “I’ll just leave you to it, then. See you around, Finn.” 

“Later, Kale,” he says distractedly, not looking up from the package. He looks over the return address. He’s never received anything from this address before. It occurs to him as he retrieves a small blade to open it that it doesn’t seem to be very heavy at all. Like, seriously not heavy. _In fact,_ he thinks, _if I didn’t know better, I would say it was..._

His thoughts trail off as he opens the box to reveal nothing inside. He rolls his eyes. “An empty box. Sure. That’ll make me feel tons better.” 

What even was this? Some post office screw-up? A joke, maybe? ‘Sure, let’s send some random guy an empty box, that’ll be hilarious, hur hur.’ _Well, all these guys are going to get out of this is a loss of money._ And he moves to toss the box into the trash. 

But as he throws the cardboard container into the bin, a perfect three-pointer... a small bit of paper flutters out, landing facedown. He hadn’t seen this. He picks it up, turns it over... and stops. For there, written in a deep green ink, is a signature he never thought he’d read again. 

He blinks a couple times, making sure it isn’t some hallucination. No. The writing remains. Something clicks. And he suddenly knows why the package was sent. And what he was going to do next. 

He dashes over to the garbage, retrieving the package, message slipping from his fingers and falling to the ground once more, this time facing up, displaying the letters for anyone to view. 

“AC :33”

 

At the same moment that Finn begins to read the message, Nella Leijon, otherwise known as AC, sits on her large couch with her likewise large cat. It isn’t huge, but a little larger than, say, a Maine Coon. Which means there’s still plenty of feline to go around. Some compared the animal’s purr to a motorcycle if they were realistic, and a semi if they were given to hyperbole. But, to Nella, it’s her personal white noise. Something that clears her mind and facilitates thought. And her thoughts are, as often, about Finn.

She realizes that the clue she sent him was not a lot to go on. It depended mostly on his figuring out what to do with it. But first of all, she was pretty sure he was smart enough to know, and second of all... her good old friend, terror, had stepped in again. She didn’t have the courage to come out and ask him what she wanted to ask him. So in an effort to ward off this wall that kept arising between him and her, she’d sent him a vague and roundabout message, incomplete, in hopes that he would be able to piece things together. 

That box? Was meant to be empty, except for the signature. But what was in the box wasn’t important- what was on the box was the real message. There was something fundamentally different between this package and everything else she’d ever sent him. A small difference, but noticeable. A return address. What she’d given him was her return address. And she is equally divided between feeling amazing and feeling like she should pack up and move to some island in the Pacific. 

But she’s accomplished her goal, and this helps to quell her flight instinct. _The most important thing is, I did something. And it’s in his hands now._ That’s it. It is in his hands now. The choice is his to make. If he wants to come find her, he’ll come find her. If not... she’ll know he’s just not interested in her. And she’ll try to forget, and not be able to. That’s one thing she knows she can’t do. Even through unrequition, she’d still hopelessly love him. It’s just the way she is, and while she knows that someday, perhaps even today, this was gonna cause some serious damage, she also knows there was, and is, nothing she could do to change it. But in that case... she can only wait. And she doesn’t honestly know whether she wanted him to show up or not.... She is distracted by a knock at the door. _Lucky me. Looks like I get to find out._

The door opens in front of Finn. He looks into Nella’s face, unsure what expression she’s wearing. What is that in her greeny-hazel eyes? Is it fear? Expectation? Happiness? Some combination, doubtless. “I... am I intruding?” 

She shakes her head. “...Come in.”

He enters the dwelling. Simple, yet comfortable. Not decorated with much... but then again, it doesn’t need to be. The walls are covered in paintings. He decides to comment on it. “You have a nice place. Did you do all this?” He says with a gesture at the walls.

She looks around. “Oh! No, not all of it... a lot of it is my mom’s work. She’s an artist too.” 

Finn’s face piques in curiosity. “Oh really? Wow, all of this is really great. You and your mother have quite some talent.” 

Nella waves a hand. “Oh, it’s not that great, especially my stuff. My mom’s the one with the skill.” 

He only chuckles. “You’re too hard on yourself, Nella. I’m looking around, and I honestly don’t see a difference. I bet you’re at least as good as your mom.” 

She gulps and musters her nerve. “Thank mew... but I don’t think you’re here to apurreciate art.” 

Again, a large part of her screams that she shouldn’t have done that, that she should have let him go on with small talk, should have avoided bringing the issue up, should have... _no. Should haves aren’t any use to anyone. It’s there now, let’s make the best of it._

Finn looks at her, surprised that she’s actually willingly mentioning it, and right off the bat too. He might have to reevaluate her as a little less timid than first appearance. “Well... if you mention it.. kind of, yeah. I don’t want to question you harshly or force stuff out of you against your will. But at the very least... I’d like to talk things out. Maybe we can reach a conclusion? Together?” 

She looks at him, eyes still flickering between emotions. “O..okay.” 

Finn looks around the room. “Do you think we could use your couch?” 

She nods, and walks over to sit. After a moment, he sits beside her. “So..” he begins, unsure of what to say to her. What could he say? Things like this didn’t happen everyday- he honestly had nothing to draw on for anything close to guidance. “Well... um... I.... you.....” He looks down, rubbing the back of his head nervously. “Gosh, I’m not very good at this, am I?” 

Nella only smiles. And seeing him so, well... dorky, to be honest, takes her fear away. “Finn...”

He looks at her. “What, Nella?” 

“Shut up.” And before he knows what’s happening, her lips are pressed to his. And it’s all he can do not to fall over. 

End of Chapter Seven


	8. Chapter 8

He’s never experienced anything- anything- like this. More fireworks are going off in his head than Clock Town during the Carnival of Time. His higher thought processes have completely shut down. All sense of time and surrounding just dissipates. There's nothing but the soft contact of her lips on his. And the kiss continues, for who knows how long, until she finally pulls away, leaving him stricken. Immobile. You could probably come in with a dolly and haul him away. Slowly, ever so slowly, Clock Town goes away, and some semblance of function is restored. 

“I.. I did not expect that.”

Well done. If that isn’t just the suavest line to ever come out of anyone’s mouth. ‘I did not expect that.’ Well done, Captain Obvious. 

Meanwhile, Nella sits on the couch in front of him, looking at him, face more than a little red, but smiling. And from the heat he can feel on his cheeks, his isn’t exactly pale either.

“Heehee, oh really?” She has a cute laugh. He’d never noticed that she has a cute laugh. 

“Yeah.” He blinks, unsure really what to say or do next. Because his mind is way too busy to think about stuff like that. It’s chaos in there, though most of it is one message, over and over repeated, almost drowning out everything else as neurons work frantically to process it. 

But one small corner of his brain is sending a different, but equally persistent message. And this one isn’t in words so much as it is a feeling in his stomach and a strange rush of emotion. But it gets the point across adequately. That point is, succinctly: _Do it again._

“Nella... I’m not sure what I’m feeling right now, to be honest with you.” 

Her eyes become crestfallen, and she looks down. “I... I understand. I’m... I’m sorry, I shouldn't have.... I- I- don't know what came over me....” 

He reaches out a hand to lift her chin. “Don’t be... it’s not a bad thing. In fact... I’m getting some pretty strong votes on the plus side.” 

She looks up at him with hope shining in her eyes. “Re-really?” 

He nods gently, taking his hand away from her jaw to softly place both over her own hand. “Pawsitive.” He leans in to kiss her again.

This one doesn’t last so long, but there are still plenty of explosions in his mind. And when he pulls away, sees her eyes flutter open, feels her warm hand secured in both of his, he knows he can finally say and mean the words that have been forming slowly, effortfully, but inexorably, ever since they’d met. “...Nella, I think I love you.” 

And she smiles, wide as Lake Hylia, pretty as sunrise over the castle, resting her other hand on top of his. “I love you too, Finn.” 

He smiles. Over on the wall is a calendar, with the dates marked off as they pass. Today is the eighteenth of February. He looks back to her, his smile becoming a grin. “I know it’s a bit late, but... be mine?” 

She giggles. “Defurnitely.”

He detaches himself from her, walking towards the door with a grin. “Great! Well, I guess now that that's resolved, I don't need to stick around any longer...” 

He gets no further due to being tackled from behind. He ends up prone, with her sitting on top of him wearing an innocent grin. 

“...But then again.... I suppose I could stay for a little while longer.” 

She nods, climbing off of him as if nothing had ever happened. “Come on, I’ll show you my room!” 

Laughing gently, he picks himself up and follows.

Finn’s first impression of Nella’s room is much like the main room- simple, not frivolous, but quite comfortable. And again, the paintings catch his eye- or one painting anyways. The most prominent one. He nudges her.

"Say, what’s that one over there all about?” He asks with a grin. 

She turns a little red. “Oh... just some painting... nothing special, really.”

He laughed. “I think it’s special. It was done by a great artist, after all.” 

The blush deepens. “Heehee, stop that. I told you, I’m not that good.” 

This just causes even more laughter. “Okay then. If it’s not special because you’re a great artist, then it’s special because it somehow predicted the future.” And he takes her hand, making them look like they did in the painting. She blushes, squeezing it with a giggle. 

His foot brushes against an accumulation of softness. “And what’s this we have down here?”

She glances down too. “Oh, just my fur pile. It’s really comfy. I sleep in it most of the time.” 

He looks at it interestedly. “Oh really? Seems like it’d be itchy...” 

She shook her head. “No, not at all! You should try it!” 

He smiles. “I think I’ll take a pass.”

She pouts. “I think you’d have fun, really I do.” 

He just shakes his head. 

“Oh, fine.” 

He spends a few more minutes following her around before she turns to him. “Well.. that’s purrety much my room, I guess...” 

He nods. “I like it. Think you could show me around the rest of your place?”

She nods, walking towards the door, but tripping along the way, landing in the pile. Instantly he’s there with a hand extended. “Lucky that was there, huh?”

She smiles. “Yeah, lucky,” as her smile turns into a smirk. She grabs Finn’s hand and gives it a mighty yank, causing him to end up face first into the pile too. 

“Why you little...” He stops, then just chuckles. “You know, you were right. I like it in here.”

She laughed. “See, I told mew!” 

Finn burrows deep into the pile, totally concealing himself. Nella grins and buries herself too, coming face to face with him after a moment. 

“Well, well, fancy meeting you here...” 

She laughs. “Oh, fancy yourself!” 

She gains a smile when his questing hand finds hers underneath the layers of warmth. 

“So tell me, Nella, since you seem to be quite the relationship ex _purrt,_ if I were to hypothetically say we were official... would we be?” 

She giggled. “I think so.”

He smiles and wriggles forward to kiss her nose. “Good. I’d hate to think all this didn’t count.” 

She just laughs. “What a charmer.” 

He looks at her. “Oh really? That’s charm? I didn’t know I was charming you, this whole time. I thought all of that had been done six years ago, when you decided you were mine.”

She giggles. “Umm... always room fur impurrovement?” 

He smiles. “Yeah, I guess.” 

He snuggles closer to her underneath the pile. “If somebody had told me that I’d go from my life to this in just four or five days, I would have believed that they’d been out too long and froze their brain. But now, cliche as it sounds... I can’t imagine my life any other way.” 

She squeezes his hand again. “I’ve had that painting fur four years now... and efurry day, when I’d see it, I’d sigh and wonder if I’d efur see it come to pass. But it has, better than I could have efur imagined.”

He smiles, shifting the furs until they’re both on top of the pile rather than the bottom. He looks up at the ceiling, a wide smile on his face, and shuts his eyes. “I just wanna stay here, well... _furever.”_

She grins. “Me too.” 

He glances at her clock and sighs again. “But I really should get home, I’m afraid.”

She frowns a little. “Can’t you stay?”

He gently shakes his head, then stands up, pulling her up too. “Sorry. But don’t worry- I’ll see you again another day.” 

“Tomorrow?” she quickly inquires.

He shrugs. “I’ll see what I can do.” A grin runs across his face. “This evening was amazing, though.”

She giggles, turning red a little. “Yeah, I’ll second that.”

He walks toward the door, with Nella following him. He turns to her, taking both her hands in both of his. “I can’t believe it took me all this time to realize how cute you are.”

She giggled and blushed. “And I’ve admired you furrom afar, but you’re so much better up close. Goodnight, Finn.”

He wraps his arms around her for one last kiss. “Goodnight, Nell.” And he steps out the door, leaving her alone with her cat and her big, big, smile.

End of Chapter Eight


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next couple of chapters' inspiration came from a friend of mine, whom I regularly consult as I write. He suggested I write a POV portion for each of the other four. So here they are.

Some days later, Nick sits on his bed, scratching the ears of Bone, his dog, while his mind picks apart the development he'd just been informed of this morning. Courtesy of a very nice older tenant in the apartment spotting him and telling him to tell Finn congratulations. Confused, he'd asked what for. The other tenant had looked at him curiously, and replied with, "Why, on his new girlfriend, of course." This was the first Nick had heard about any relationship Finn had. He'd inquired around, and was now stitching the tidbits he'd gathered together. 

So, Finn had a girl. The same one he’d seen her with at the shop a whole mess of days ago. But she wasn’t with him, with him, then- something had happened between the two in the meanwhile to cause this state of affairs to change. Something having to do with her being AC, whatever that meant. 

He almost smiles at the recollection. He wonders what Finn had done to provoke her into that outburst. Into evidently revealing a secret she’d hidden from him. From what he’d managed to discern, she’d been his secret admirer? Via mail? Come to think of it, he does recall Finn complaining once or twice about some anonymous valentines. _Guess they’re not so anonymous anymore,_ he thinks with a chuckle. 

He does have to wonder, however, just what happened to change things around. Obviously the girl- Nella, wasn’t it?- had her feelings established already, but she’d seemed pretty angry when she’d left- angry, but terrified too, probably because, hello, public explosion, and announcing her secret to boot. Finn had chased after her... and who knew what had happened to him. When Anna had got off shift and they’d walked home together, it was a fury of snow and ice that built drifts as you watched and totally snuffed any vision of anything more than a yard and a half away. Then they’d gotten home, and there’d been no sign of Finn- but from what he’d found out later, he’d staggered in a couple of hours after the worst of the storm was over, and had gone straight up to his flat. 

The next day, he’d gone up to Finn’s place, entirely intending to give him a decent ribbing... but, somewhere along the stairs he’d changed his mind. And what had come out of his mouth was actual advice- brief and rough, certainly, but heartfelt. He almost rolls his eyes at the memory. Heartfelt? Since when was he such a romantic? Since never, that’s when. He’s never been in love, nor has anyone been smitten with him. Heck, the advice he’d given Finn was the advice of a total social introvert. He knew absolutely nothing about relationships, and was not particularly interested in altering this fact. But somehow, he’d been compelled to offer advice anyways. Finn had thanked him for it, but heaven knows if he’s actually followed it or not. _Ah, whatever. Advice or no advice, it seems as though Finn was managing himself pretty decently._

A thought occurs to Nick, and he laughs. _Oh look. Finn finally got a princess, and there weren’t any monsters or evil pig-boar-man-sorcerer-gingers that he had to defeat. Must have come as a shock, since he’s been preparing practically his whole life for that._ He idly wonders if Nella is a fan of the series. She doesn’t really seem to be the gamer type, but hey, he’s not the best judge of people by any means. _Ah well. If she isn’t a fan, she’s sure to be soon._

Bone looks up at him, panting gently. Yeah. Relationships are fine and great and all... for other people. As for him, though, personally he’d prefer a dog to a date any day of the week. And as far as social life besides that was concerned... he has his friends, and they’re really the only people he talks to practically at all. Them and Bone. And really, as far as he’s concerned, this is really all he needs.

His dog barks, and he remembers something. “That’s right. Dinnertime for you, buddy.” 

He hops off his bed, wading through the layer of assorted stuff that obscures the floor almost entirely, and reaches Bone’s bowl, which he proceeds to fill with kibble. “There we go. Enjoy.” 

His pet happily digs in with a woof of approval. Nick grins, moving back to his bed to sit on it once more.

“Well.. while I don’t really understand how it happened, how they went from one-sided anonymous love letters to official couple, I guess, if they’re happy with each other, far be it from grumpy old antisocial Nick Tremain to rain on their romance parade.” 

He smirks. “Past a certain extent, of course. It’s the price dearest Finn gets to pay for getting a girlfriend.” And he immediately goes on to begin plotting a fate for Finn. Nothing too serious, but something that’ll get him good and riled.

He hears footsteps outside his door, and rather than open it to see who’s walking by, as this would require undoing at least twelve locks and latches, he just looks through the peephole in the door. It’s Finn, walking while engaged in conversation with Nella, who’s attached to his arm. Nick pulls a face, even though they can’t see him, and goes back to plot some more.

 

On the next floor up, Brom Jackson sits at his computer, coding as he often does. Several small fans make little whirs as his desktop smoothly responds to his typing. It should- after all, it’s a custom-built quantum computer that the latest model, and then some, couldn’t match. He had tried hacking the NSA, once, just for fun- he’d dug through four levels of security clearance before they even knew he was there. He chuckles at the memory- even then, he’d manage to take another one and a half before their best computer experts finally found a way to lock him out. Although, that was less of the computer and more of his innate talent with all things technological. 

His friends will be quick to point Brom out as the greatest mind in Adak. His expertise ranges from a variety of subjects, physics to astronomy to tech. And as much is evident in his room- books, both non-fiction and fiction alike, occupy every wall in bookshelves and a good portion of the floor in stacks. Messy stacks- Brom isn’t as bad as Nick, but he’s still not the cleanest as far as rooms go. The quantum computer occupies the main portion of his room, and on one corner of it hangs a Rickenbacker bass guitar- it had once belonged to Bill Nye.

He finishes another line of program, looks it over, and closes the code. Another virus prepped and ready to go. He doesn’t do it maliciously- it’s just a thing that he does with another programmer he’d met over the Internet. Saul Captor. The two, recognizing in each other a technological equal, had struck up correspondence and often exchange programs with each other. Of course, some of these are just virii, but Brom can defuse Saul’s programs and is sure Saul can do the same to his malware. _Well.. except for one._

One time, Saul had sent him a program he couldn’t pick apart. The source code was arcane like nothing he'd ever seen- in fact, it was so unfamiliar he'd swear Saul had hand-built the programming language. He'd certainly never heard of- What was the extension again?- an ATH code.

So, because he didn't trust the code nor the coder at all, he’d gone out and bought a new laptop, downloaded the program onto it, run it... and had watched as the computer literally exploded. So it was all in fun, but he was still wary that Saul might have a little more up his sleeve than was usually evident. 

He hears conversation approaching his door, gets up to go see who it is, then stops as he recognizes Finn’s voice... along with an unfamiliar girl’s. It’s then that he remembers what he’d heard a day or two ago. Finn has a girlfriend. The one who had been sending him anonymous valentines for more than a few years. Further proving that the universe had a sense of irony to it. _It’s really funny how things end up working out sometimes,_ he thinks. _Well, I can’t say I’m unhappy that Finn’s found love. From what I’ve heard, this Nella’s a nice person. I wish the two of them nothing but the best._

A thought occurs to him. _Unlike some people._

Brom never makes it really known, but he has another inexplicable talent- for sensing the way people’s brains work. Almost like mind reading, except of course that’s ridiculous. And he knows just how Nick is gonna react. Sure, he’s gonna act all congratulatory and stuff- but Nick seems to believe that it’s his purpose in life to ensure that people don’t get too happy. Or maybe he thinks that since they’re so happy, it’s an ideal time to troll them because they’re more likely to feel happy enough to let him get away with it. Anyhow, Finn’s no doubt in for a bit of a nasty surprise at some point in the future, courtesy of Nick Tremain. And Brom plans to, if not shield him from this, at least turn the blow a little. 

He acts in this role often, when Nick’s jokes get a little too unfunny to the victims. Not out of any special obligation or anything like that, but frankly because Nick’s mind is an open book to him. It’s easy for him to look at Nick and know what he’s plotting, and then warn the would-be recipient to, say, walk through doors cautiously for the next week or two. And this might be just what they need to avoid getting a bucket of slime on their heads. 

_But regardless. Hmm... maybe I should get Finn some sort of present, just in congratulations. Because, well, something like this deserves celebration._

He shifts around in his chair, staring at his screen idly. And he suddenly notices something isn’t quite in line. Sure, he feels really happy for the two.... but, searching, there’s a little seed of something else with that happiness. and it’s disturbing the joy. He searches a little deeper... and comes up with a name for it. Maybe.... he’s just a little bit jealous? Of Finn and Nella? Maybe.... that might be possible... because while maybe he wishes them the absolute best in being happy with each other, he’s still searching for someone to be that happy with. 

He recalls a myth that he’d read once. Now, how did it go... once upon a time, humankind had had four arms, four legs, and two faces, or some such like that, and then they’d threatened to conquer the gods, so Zeus had split them into two? And so humans really only had a half soul, and could only be truly happy if they found the person that had the other half of their soul. Absolute and utter hogwash, as most myths are, but... he can’t help but bring it to mind. In terms of that, he’s still looking for someone- a special person that’s more than just a friend. 

It’s a small speck of feeling, this envy- it’s unlikely to consume him or cause him to feel any differently. He’s still happy for Finn, and he still hopes with all his heart that Finn can have a beautiful relationship with his new-found girl. But in the deepest corner of his emotional cortex, there’s that one thought that just sort of lurks- _Why can’t I find someone to be that happy with?_

A flashing on his screen distracts him from his thoughts. He’s a little surprised by this- no way Saul could be replying this quickly. But it’s not Saul. Brushing his bangs out of his face with one hand, he sees that it’s a message over Pesterchum. From an unfamiliar handle- gardenGnostic. Intrigued, he types a greeting in return to the message. 

 

And is distracted an hour and a half later by the sound of a violin. At first, when he glances over to check the time, he thinks his computer’s clock is mis-set. There’s no way he’s been talking to this girl for that long. Then again... 

He looks back to the Pesterchum window. This girl was actually turning out to be pretty fun to talk to. Her name was Jade, and she’d told him she lived in New Zealand. Or, rather, “close enough, anyways”- whatever that meant. Once they’d got to discussing, he found she actually had quite a few things in common with him- she plays bass guitar as well, for a start. She’s actually quite interested in science, and is really knowledgeable about the subject. Like, maybe even a rival for his own knowledge. Personalitywise, she seems to be quite cheerful and exuberant- kind of like Finn is, although he’s not quite as overboilingly enthusiastic as she is. She said she liked to sleep- a lot, actually. She was kind of funny, too- she’d made him laugh out loud a couple of times. And she had a dog, named Bec. Overall, she seems like a pretty neat person to know, and Brom is fairly certain that he’d made a new friend tonight. 

His mind turns to the sound that had pulled him back to reality from his chatting with Jade. The sound of a violin. _Anna, without a doubt. Not like there are any other violinists in the building, after all._ He listens to the tune a while- he may have heard it before somewhere, but in and of itself it doesn't ring any bells. But it’s an interesting little melody regardless, the kind of thing that can easily get stuck in your head. As he resumes his conversation with Jade, he can’t help but idly wonder a little what reason Anna has for pulling out her instrument tonight. But the thought fades as he goes back to conversing. _There’s plenty of reasons for her to be making music- even this late in the evening._

End of Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And yes, Bill Nye does own a bass, and can play it.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning: very bad pun ahead. Because my friend forced me to. I hope you're happy.

Finn opens the door to his room, showing Nella in with a smile. He’d stopped by her home earlier in the evening, asking if she was free that evening. He’d figured that since she’d shown him her house, it was only fair for him to do the same. And of course it’s a great excuse for them to spend some more time together. He enters behind her, shutting the door as she looks around. 

“I like your place!” she comments.

He glances around too. “Oh, sure, I guess. It’s not the fanciest place, but, hey, it’s home.” 

She giggles, moving around as she takes the place in. The decor of the apartment is certainly well put-together, if perhaps a little focused on one thing. Simply put, the room is a shrine to Zelda. The walls are decorated with various posters, most official art from the different games. Hanging in one location is a replica Hylian Shield, with corresponding Master Sword safe in a pedestal below. One wall is dominated by a quite large screen, with the cubbyholes in the cupboard beneath containing several different consoles, controllers, and/or games. His laptop sits on the small coffee table in front of the couch, the light gently pulsing in hibernation because he rarely if ever actually turns the thing all the way off. Also occupying the table are several figurines, including his most recent acquisition. The rest are on another shelving unit some distance away, sharing this with several books, some non-Zelda related. He has normal things too. But among the figures on the very top stands a green book: Hyrule Historia, containing concept art, an explanation of the timeline(s), and basically all anyone could need to know about the series.

As Nella’s eyes rove the room, she notices one of the cupboards has a tight padlock on it. She grabs Finn’s arm and points. “What’s that ofur there?”

He looks in the direction indicated and quickly shakes his head. “N-nothing important. Really and honestly.”

She looks at him, then back to the cabinet. “But why is it locked if it’s nothing major?”

His answer comes after a moment. “No reason. It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.” And his tone sort of implies that he’d really, really, like it if she’d leave the subject alone. She does so. It was only idle curiosity, really, and if he didn’t like to talk about it, she wouldn’t press him. Finn is slightly relieved that she lets it by. Because what’s in that cupboard are three games he doesn’t care to mention at all. He won’t even think their names, but if anyone were to somehow open the cabinet and take a look at one of the games, they would find three letters on the case. The letters C, D, and i.

He steps into the kitchen, opening his small fridge. “What would you like?” 

“Oh, you don’t have to get anything out fur me,” she says. 

He shakes his head. “Oh, it’s not a problem. You’re my guest, after all. I’m supposed to furnish some hospitality. Now let’s see here. I’ve got water, some juice, root beer, club soda-”

He stops as she makes a face. “Not a fan, eh?” 

She shakes her head pretty vehemently.

“Ah, okay. Furget I mentioned it.” 

She nods in acknowledgement. “Water’ll be fine, Finn.”

He pulls out a couple of bottles, tossing one to her. She catches it easily, and opens the top as he leads her back out of the kitchen.

He walks her around his apartment a little more before he finally makes his way to the couch. He pats the spot next to him, and she willingly sits, setting her water aside on the coffee table before snuggling close as his arm wraps around her. “I don’t have a fur pile to cuddle in, so I guess this’ll just have to do.”

She smiles. “I think it’ll do just fine.”

  


Finn and Nella sit like that for a while, neither one talking or moving at all. Just kind of sitting there, enjoying each other’s proximity. Then Nella looks over at him. “So, tell me about your furriends. You mentioned them in passing, but I’d love to know more.” 

Finn sits back, thinking. “Hmm. Well, there’s Nick. You might have seen him at the coffeeshop- small, kinda scrawny, generally has a noncooperative attitude. He’s a bit gruff, but a decent guy once you get to know him. He also has a dog, and I’m pretty sure that if he was offered the choice between it and all humanity, he’d go fur the dog.” 

She nods. “Go on.”

“Then there’s Brom. He’s laid back, doesn’t really go to extremes pretty much no matter what. And he’s a genius- you can ask him anything about any subject, and chances are he knows it. His favorite science is astronomy- there’s probably people with degrees that know less than he does. But he also does computers, and physics, and just about anything else scientific.

“The only girl in our little group- well, up till now- is Anna. She was working at the shop while you were there, so you might remember her too. She’s actually a really skilled blacksmith. She gets commissions all the time. She’s the oldest out of us, and almost certainly the most mature. If any of us need serious advice, she’s the one to go to.

“And last, we have Kale. The first and most easily noticeable thing about him is that he’s got some pretty strong views on politics, and doesn’t hesitate to share them. He’s a little obsessed with the subject, to be honest. Again, if you can tune out the political rants, he’s a decent guy. And he plays lead guitar in our little band, which I firgot to mention. Nick is the drummer, Brom does bass, I’m keys, and Anna isn’t in the band, although she does play the violin. That just about sums up everything.” And he lapses back into silence for another while.

  


Eventually, Finn shifts, his smile altering slightly as his eyes gain a pensive expression. He seems to be thinking about something.

Nella looks over. “Whatcha thinking about?”

He looks at her with a grin. “Oh, just how amazing you are.” 

She giggles and blushes. “Heehee, how so?” 

He puts out a hand and begins to tick off fingers. “Let’s see... you’re cute, fur one thing. Really cute. Secondly, you’re funny and you make me laugh. Third, you’re nice to cuddle with. I could go on. But it’s mostly that you’re cute.” And he gives her a kiss on her nose, which just makes her giggle even more.

“Aww, you’re so sweet, Finn! And you’re funny, and you’re smart, and mew like me... do I need to continue?” She snuggles closer, resting her head against him.

He chuckles gently. “Almost. You said I like you. And I’d like to think it’s a bit more than like.”

  


He stays in silence for a little longer, then speaks. “You know..... I’ve nefur really believed in all that love at furst sight stuff, but my feelings have purrogressed fairly quickly, considering I only saw you just about two weeks ago, and only talked to you a day after that. Just a couple days later we were on what technically could be called a date, and two days after that, less than a week furrom now... we shared that kiss.” 

She draws back a little as he speaks. “I- I’m so sorry if I’m moving too fast...” 

He gives his head a little shake. “Did I say I minded?” 

She smiles. “I guess not.” She felt his arm draw her close again.

  


Some time later, he looks over to her to see her eyes drifting slowly closed. _Aww, she’s even cuter when she’s falling asleep._ He gives her a gentle nudge. “Hey there. Nella.” 

She rouses herself again, turning bright red. “S-sorry, Finn!” 

He smiles. “That’s okay. But I think that means that you’re just about done with the cuddling fur now. So, I’ve got an idea. What if we take a blanket and head on up to the roof? It’s real nice up there, especially on these winter nights where the sky is just so clear and there are so many stars. We can sit up there for a while, and then I’ll take you home. Does that sound okay?”

She nods emphatically. “I’d love that.” 

He nods, getting up from the couch and extending a hand.

She takes it with a smile. “Efur the gentleman.” He only smiles in return.

  


A while later, Kale steps out onto the roof, a guitar in hand. He spends a lot of time up here, alone with his instrument and the skyline of Adak. He doesn’t like to be at home very much. His parents kinda fight a whole lot, and while they never outright say it, he knows it’s usually over him. He uses music as an escape from all the strife, occasionally staying up here for half the night until he knows they've calmed down and gone to sleep. 

Well, that's the story sometimes. Sometimes, he just comes up here to play because he feels like playing. There’s a neighbor couple that he has a sort of unspoken rivalry with. They’re the sort of fundamentalists that think that rock-and-roll and anything with non-acoustic guitars is devil music. So when he’s feeling like ticking somebody off, he comes up here, jacks into his speaker rig that he has permanently set up, and blasts some guitar their direction.

And, again, that’s only some of the time. Occasionally he just, you know... wants to make music. And tonight is one such night. He begins to walk to the other side of the roof... and pauses. Because in the middle of the roof is Finn, laying down on a blanket next to an unfamiliar girl. He doesn’t seem to notice Kale, looking at the girl next to him. He steps over to the pair. “Finn? What’s up? And... who’s that?” 

Finn looks over. “Oh, hey there Kale. Didn’t see you there. This is Nella. Nell, this is Kale.” 

The girl looks at him and waves a hand. “Hi Kale! Finn told me about you!” 

He nods slowly. “Well, um.... hi, I guess.”

He looks at the both of them. And the beginning of a connection forms in his mind. “Wait a minute... are you... Finn... is she... are you two...” 

Finn only nods with a smile.

“No way. No way.” Kale grins too. “Finn, you lucky dog. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Finn shrugs. “Oh, nefur got around to it, I guess.”

Kale looks at them both, then at the guitar in his hand. “You guys stay right there. I’ve got an idea.” And he makes for the roof exit.

  


Two floors down, Anna gets up from where she is sitting in her room, and goes to her kitchen to pour herself a glass of something to drink- ginger ale, her favorite drink. She returns to her chair and resumes watching her small TV as the characters displayed upon it traverse the overworld of Sylvarant. Tales of Symphonia, her favorite game. And what better way to relax after a long and tiring day than a good JRPG and a nice cold glass of delicious soda.

Unexpectedly, she hears a knock on her door. Now who could that be, and what do they want this late? She opens it to find Kale on the other side, holding his acoustic guitar. “Kale? What do you need?”

He jerks a thumb upwards. “We got a pair of lovebirds up on the roof, and I’m thinking they’d care for some music. You remember Moondance?”

Anna smirks, instantly knowing what he's talking about. _Totally called it._ “How could I forget. I presume from the acoustic you mean August Rush?”

Kale nods. “I was hoping you could do the harmonica part. You know, on your thing.” 

“Sure I could. Do you want me to come up there, or...?”

Kale shakes his head. “Nah. Just open the window so the sound drifts up.”

“Will do.” She closes the door, saves and shuts off her game- for now, at least. She goes to a case under her bed and pulls out her violin- a white electric. In a couple of moments, she’s ready to go. So she opens the window and waits.

End of Chapter Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry. I really am.
> 
> (On another note, the thing where Finn never turns his laptop off completely is taken directly from my own habit. So, yeah.)


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For your listening pleasure, you might as well put on this song as you're reading. And also watch August Rush sometime. Great movie.
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=hVY5fFBcjzk

Finn smiles, laying on the roof next to Nella. “Nice up here, huh?” 

She nods while looking up at the sky. “Real pretty sky. You can’t see it at my place nearly as well.”

His hand finds hers and grasps it gently, causing her smile to widen.

“Finn... efurry time you do that... I still can’t quite believe it’s happening. Like maybe, it’s just a dream, and I’ll wake up tomorrow and you won’t know I exist, except fur those valentines. It wouldn’t be the furst time I’d dreamed about you like that.” 

Finn looks over at her as she does the same, meeting her gaze for a moment. “I promise you this isn’t a dream, Nella. It’s the real deal.” He gives her hand a little squeeze. 

She smiles again. “Thanks, Finn.”

 

After a little while he hears a sound. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Kale, now with an acoustic guitar, return to the roof. He winks in Finn’s direction before moving behind one of the vent fixtures. Moments later, the sounds of music drift over from where he sits.

Finn’s face perks up as he recognizes the beginning. The song is Moondance, off the movie August Rush. Kale had received the movie from one of his other friends, and he’d gotten the whole group together to watch it. They’d all agreed it was a pretty good movie, except for Nick, who was of the ‘meh’ opinion. Without a doubt, though, one of the best songs from the movie was its performance of Moondance. It didn’t originally belong to the movie- it was a big-band classic- but August Rush had taken it and totally restyled it. Rather than a full jazz ensemble, the movie version featured acoustic guitar and harmonica. Kale was providing the first, and after a few measures, Anna’s violin comes in for the second.

Finn smiles as the tune resonates through the night air, and almost unconsciously begins to sing along. “It’s a marvelous night for a moondance, with the stars up above in your eyes...” He trails off, just humming. Then, an idea arrives. Smiling wider, he stands up, extending a hand to Nella. “Shall we?”

She looks up at him. “Shall we what, Finn?” 

He chuckles. “Dance, of course.” 

She smiles, taking his hand without another word.

Her other hand hesitantly comes up to rest on his shoulder. “Finn....”

He looks at her. “What is it?” 

She grins sheepishly. “I... don’t really know how to dance.”

He smiles gently and puts his own hand on her back. “Don’t worry. It’s not hard. It’s just like moving, only to music. We’ll start off real simple. All you gotta do is follow my lead.” He gently begins to sway in time, and she mimics him. 

He nods with a smile. “See, you’re doing great. Just move along with me.”

After her initial hesitance, Nella finds that she’s picking it up fairly quickly. “I think I got it now.”

He smiles. “Great.” 

They dance in silence for a while. He looks at her. “You know, you’re even prettier in the moonlight.”

She can’t help but blush. “Th.. thanks...” 

He chuckles a little. “It’s sort of funny, how you can see some things better when they’re less illuminated.” Although the moon is plenty bright, and it reflects in her eyes. His heart feels a twinge as he notices. _Gosh... she really is beautiful._

They lapse into silence for a little longer, then Nella speaks. “This is a nice song.”

He nods. “One of my favorites.” 

“But where’s the purrson with the melody?” she asks. “The only ones up here are us and Kale.”

Finn kind of shrugs. “It sounds like Anna. She’s most likely in her room- window’s probably open.” 

She nods. “Oh, I see. She’s real good.” 

Finn just nods his head in affirmation. 

Eventually, the melody gently fades, until it’s just the guitar, repeating its simple progression. And at last, that too ends with one final chord. And the two gently come to a halt. Finn lets his hand slip out of hers, putting it around her back as she takes her own and sets it on his other shoulder. He looks into her eyes with a smile, receiving the same expression in return. And everything, for a moment, is frozen. Then he meets her lips with his once more. And stays there, eyes gently closed, for longer than he’s ever done before. 

Kale rolls his eyes as he exits the roof. “Yeah, I’m happy for you and all, but... hey, get a room, bud.” He murmurs to himself.

Finn doesn’t notice.

After who knows how long, he gently breaks the contact and pulls back some. 

Her eyes open slowly. “Wow.” 

He only nods with a smile.

“Come on, Nella. Let’s get you home.”

End of Chapter Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's the end. I didn't really see any point in writing any further than this, but I didn't really have an ending either, other than the generic happy ever after spiel. So I guess this is it, although I may end up adding some in the future. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed.


End file.
